I'm falling into this madness and I can't stop. I just ordered a $95 USB cable. Everything that my logical brain tells me just went out the window. I know that ony one's and zero's go through a USB and that nothing can make it any different, But changing interconnects really helped......You all have ruined me. Logical me is confused.I'm going out back and shooting something!

Consider this: there's a lot more than just ones and zeros going through that cable. There's electricity too in many cases. And you have all that passing through metal crystals, insulation fibers, connectors and possibly solder. . . .

It's okay to have an open mind about this, an open mind is not a crazy mind!

I feel for you. But then....one group's "logic" (when it is missing relevant details) is another group's bullshit. Unless the USB power noise from the computer to the DAC is isolated somehow, you will hear it! And even worse...how it is "isolated" can be heard.

Our pesky Decware may be the culprit.... unless something is pretty messed up, it lets us hear the reality of changes pretty clearly.....So really, maybe you should take the 944s and the RED Torii our back!

On second thought, maybe another glass of Kooolaid would be better.....

As far as 'digital' cables, there's only electrical square waves at sampling rate, right?... I mean, the square wave rise time might make a difference, but the cable is transmitting real-time [on / off] voltage peaks and dips in a square-wave fashion... As long as the 'ups and downs' are followed fast enough ... ???... (m.)

If a rabbit defined intelligence the way man does, then the most intelligent animal would be a rabbit, followed by the animal most willing to obey the commands of a rabbit. -Robert Brault, writer (b. 1938)

I have really fallen for Mapleshade's Kool-aid.The only thing shot this afternoon was a paper target. 50 rounds through my .45 really calms me down. Plus it gives me reason to listen to my stereo tonight while I reload the brass.BTW, I wear both ear plugs and over the head ear protection.

How does a clock signal figure into that equation? In my experience digital cables make a difference. Types of transmission (coax, AT&T, optical, HDMI) as well. I can see why maybe it shouldn't but it seems to.

Donnie, I hate guns. But I like you anyway. Glad you wear ear protection.

This topic is only interesting to me since I can clearly hear different USB cables in my (particular) DACS, and all the theory in the world won't change that....and for each DAC it is a different cable that makes each sound best to me.

That said, I used to know a reason for this and hope I am remembering it correctly. Seems to me it was that the computer sends a very low current power to a chip in the DAC, in which case you have analog noise in this power, which in turn can put noise in the DAC or async device if this power is not isolated somehow.

In my Tranquility, every USB cable I have sounds different. Same with my V-Link async thingy and Decware ZDAC...but I believe these all use this small current from the computer.

So the better cables attempt to isolate this noise from the 1/0 wires, and attempt to clean up this power/ground noise limiting its passing into the electronics of the DAC.

Sorry, I can't recall with clarity, but there are creative explorers out there that have the info.....the naysayers, well....sometimes they maaayyyy get it right, but in the case of all the cables I have, power, IC, USB, I hear each one's character, and for tuning my system to the impeccable, they all matter.

Lon,I just got a Email that the cables that I ordered shipped on Monday. I should have them in my sweaty palms by Thursday.Seeing that these are supposed to be a Christmas present to me from my wife, I'm kind of debating if they shouldn't be put away for the next month or so. But then again the world is supposed to end on December the 21st......

Well, it looks like my ears are good enough to tell the difference between USB cables. I won't say, at this point that there is a night and day change. But the cable does sound what I will call, better. A little more treble detail. We will give them a little time to burn in and then switch back and forth between the Wyred 4 Sound cable and the Mapleshade to see what I like.Just as I am typing this I notice that the bass is considerably more "punchy", enough that I might back my sub off a little. Time will tell.